A tubular knitted article that has two opposite open ends, e.g., body of a stocking, is knitted using a yarn and a knitting machine that includes a cylindrical needle carrier and a plurality of needles. The needle carrier is rotatable about a central axis. The needles are angularly disposed on the needle carrier and spaced evenly apart, are co-rotatable with the needle carrier, and are movable in an axial direction relative to the needle carrier. As the needle carrier rotates, the needles alternately move upward and downward in the axial direction to knit the yarn and form loops that constitute the tubular knitted article.
After the knitting is completed, the tubular knitted article is transferred to a stitching apparatus from the knitting machine by using a transfer apparatus, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,443,633. The stitching apparatus includes a loop joining apparatus and a sewing, needle, and is for closing one of the open ends so as to form a toe end of the stocking.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the loop joining apparatus includes a semi-circular first reed 150 and a semi-circular second reed 160 that is pivotally connected to the first reed 150 such that the first and second reeds 150, 160 are pivotable relative to each other about a folding axis 280. The first reed 150 includes a plurality of angularly spaced-apart first reed teeth 100. The second reed 160 includes a plurality of angularly spaced-apart second reed teeth 250. The first and second reed teeth 100, 250 are for extending through uppermost loops 2 of the tubular knitted article, respectively.
The uppermost loops 2 are divided into a first group and a second group with respect to the folding axis 280. The first group includes a plurality of loops 130 that are respectively placed on the first reed teeth 100. The second group includes a plurality of loops 140 that are respectively placed on the second reed teeth 250. Two of the loops 130 of the first group, which are defined as first and last loops 130a, 130b, respectively correspond in position to opposite ends of the first reed 150 and are located adjacent to the folding axis 280. Two of the loops 140 of the second group, which are defined as first and last loops 140a, 140b, respectively correspond in position to opposite ends of the second reed 160 and are respectively located adjacent to the first and last loops 130a, 130b of the first group.
With further reference to FIG. 3, the first and second reeds 150, 160 are operable to pivot relative to each other about the folding axis 280 between an expanded state and a stacked state. In the expanded state, the first and second reeds 150, 160 are disposed side by side and symmetrical about the folding axis 280. In the stacked state, the first and second reeds 150, 160 are stacked one above the other in the axial direction, and the second reed teeth 250 respectively mate with the first reed teeth 100, such that each of the loops 140 of the second group is operable to join a respective one of the loops 130 of the first group, and that a sewing needle 700 can be used to stitch the joined loops together to thereby form the toe end of the stocking.
However, since the first and last loops 130a, 130b of the first group and the first and last loops 140a, 140b of the second group are located adjacent to the folding axis 280, they may slide and fall off from the corresponding reed teeth 100, 250 when the first and second reeds 150, 160 are transformed from the expanded state to the stacked state, and may undesirably ladder the stocking.
In order to prevent the first and last loops 130a, 130b, 140a, 140b of each of the first and second groups from sliding and falling off during such transformation, surfaces of the corresponding reed teeth 100, 250 may be roughened. By this way, the first and last loops 130a, 130b, 140a, 140b of each of the first and second groups may be retained on the corresponding reed teeth 100, 250 due to friction when the first and second reeds 150, 160 are transformed from the expanded state to the stacked state. However, the first and last loops 130a, 130b, 140a, 140b of the first and second groups may become fluffy due to contact with the corresponding reed teeth 100, 250 that are roughened, and may adversely affect the aesthetic appearance of the stocking.